Korean Job Discussion Forums

[JongnoGuru]

[philinkorea]

i lived near jongno for a year and thought it was great. My school was in Jongno. I agree with the post that says it does have a real Korean feel to it also. Theres dondongju bars, lots of noraebangs, dvd bangs etc. loads of hofs, really reasonably priced.

I lived in insadong for a few months. before that id lived in Hyojadong near gyeongbokgung palace which i thought was ideal. it was really quiet and peaceful, had some real authenticity to it. could walk around the corner to Gyeongbokgung palace and also close to party hard in Jonggak. I went out in Jonggak for most of the year I thought it was great.

[Atkinson]

[Daechidong Waygookin]

I dont like being around poor people. There are almost none in Kangnam and then if I see one asking for money, I just ignore them. So I like Kangnam.

[Swiss James]

I don't know much about Gangnam except Apkujeong- the shopping is good there, Paul Frank, DKNY, a huge Adidas flagship store, ABC Mart for shoes etc.
There are some pretty good restaurants that offer something outside the run-of-the-mill. I've been to a good conveyor belt place- like the more common sushi ones, but with loads of different dishes including meat to be BBQd going round, also a pan-asian restaurant that was not 'fusion style' but actually had some vietnamese noodles, chinese dim sum etc. New York Fries is good once in a while too

On the other hand I tried to go drinking in Apkujeong last Thursday and it was a total disaster- one place was throwing a Jaegermeister drinks party but had actually ran out of alcohol (this was around midnight), the place looked like a bomb had gone off too,everywhere else was either completely empty, or the type of place you have to buy a bottle of whiskey in a private room so that girls will talk to you.

I was with a few people who haven't lived here for long and was embarassed by how crap the night was.

Fit girls though, definitely fit girls.

[Zyzyfer]

[billybrobby]

To me, the problem with Kangnam is its too far away from everything else. All that north of the river stuff, Hongdae, Sinchon, Jongno even Itaewon is pretty close to each other. Kangnam is just stranded in the south.

The woodstock there kinda sucks compared to the ones in Sinchon and Itaewon. no pitchers. oh, the nerve!

The NB there is better than the one in Hongdae. What's that other club there? 4 Xs? They're the only 2 proper clubs that I know of there. What else is there?

There's some crazy bar there that looks like a jungle or a tropical island when you walk in. Only been there once, but it was cool. Anybody know the name and/or directions?

Maybe I dunno Kangnam well. I wish its defenders would tell us some specific places to go.

[Swiss James]

I didn't think much to 4x when I went there, charging foreigners but not koreans is a pretty low trick - and then not charging a Thai friend because, well, he's kind of asianish which is close enough- the music was OK, and it's good to hear some K-Pop mixed in with the western stuff- pretty expensive for a shabby place though

[eamo]

Gangnam does not really have in spades what most foreigners would call interesting. A agree with the posters above that it seems a whole lot of fuss about nothing.

Gangnam appeals to Korean sensibilities much more than to western ones. They like the fact that it's much newer-looking than Northern Seoul (anyone else like northern soul?!! ). They like how so many BMW and Mercedes cruise up and down wide, tree-lined, boulevards. Then there's the exclusivity. To have a decent apartment in Gangnam you must be doing pretty well. So just living there makes Koreans feel good. To afford the up-scale bars and restaurants there you must have a lot of disposable cash. It means young, single Koreans know that if they go out for a night in Gangnams best venues then they will likely meet other young single people of the opposite sex who their parents will approve of. i.e. They have money.

I live there because my Korean g/f was mad keen on living there. Plus, I don't really care. It's great to be near CO-EX. That's about all I like about the place. Also, when new restaurants open they always try to be a little different. So there isn't just streets and streets of standard Galbi restaurants. They always seem to have more interesting menus and cooler styling.

[Tiberious aka Sparkles]

[Saunagukin]

Yes, it's over-priced and Jong-no is better. However, I haven't have a single hello-nice-to-meet-you-giggle-giggle since I got here. That's not to say that I won't...and I don't know why it is, but I like it. (And no need to start on the "why can't you just say hello" kick, please. That's another thread.)

[Daechidong Waygookin]

[bucheon bum]

Good points about being ignored in Gangam. Never thought about it, but it is fairly accurate.

[Daechidong Waygookin]

[peppermint]